Experimental work is on-going to improve the feed efficiency of ruminants. Two systems have gained ground in this regard.
One such system involves feeding a mixture of branched chain fatty acids to ruminants, to increase the microbial attack on the feed in the rumen. One commercial product of this type involved a mixture of isobutyric, isovaleric, valeric and 2 methyl butyric acids. The mixture was sold as a feed supplement for cattle under the trade mark Iso-acids by the Eastman Kodak Company.
The other system involves utilizing compounds as a feed supplement that are characterized by the slow release of ammonia, so that increased digestion is maintained over a prolonged duration. An example of this second system involves the feeding of glucose-urea compounds to ruminants.
It is desirable to provide compounds which, in the rumen, produce fatty acids and simultaneously and slowly release ammonia. Compounds having these dual capabilities have been developed. The compounds involved are branched chain aldehyde diureas.
The branched chain aldehyde diureas are produced by reacting alpha-methyl aldehydes with urea in water under acidic conditions. When the product of this reaction is introduced into the rumen and digested, the aldehyde is released and oxidized to yield a branched chain fatty acid. Simultaneously, the diurea hydrolyzes slowly to emit ammonia.
However, with respect to the fatty acids employed in the Iso-acid* mixture, only corresponding isobutyraldehyde and 2 methyl butyraldehyde are amenable to the aldehyde diurea process. Polymerization occurs if valeraldehyde or isovaleraldehyde are subjected to the process. In addition, the solubility characteristics in the rumen of the aldehyde diureas, produced by reacting isobutyraldehyde or 2 methyl butyraldehyde in accordance with the aldehyde diurea process, are relatively poor.
It is also known that formaldehyde and urea will react in water under basic conditions to form mono methylol urea. It was postulated by applicant that mono ureas could be produced from higher carbon aldehydes in the same manner; it was applicant's hope that such higher carbon mono ureas
would be less polymerized and more soluble in water (and thus in the rumen) than the aldehyde diureas. However when experiments were carried out by applicant in accordance with:
reacting an aldehyde having 4 or 5 carbons with urea PA1 under basic condition PA1 using water as the solvent
the reaction product was found to be a slime, because of the insolubility of the aldehydes